News
Yes, this week witnessed "GERSmas", the annual frenzy that accompanies the economic figures that mean all things to everyone as soon as they are released. GERS - Government Expenditure and Revenues, Scotland -- is an attempt by civil service statisticians to show much tax is raised in Scotland by Government bodies, and how much public money is actually spent here.Always controversial and hotly disputed, the GERS figures became the focus of debate during and after the independence referendum campaign. Podcast regular host Derek Bateman invited Dr Craig Dalzell, an economist and co-authot of various Common Weal papers on the subject, to explain GERS and discuss their implications. The results, as ever, are fascinating and particularly to independence supporters in Scotland.